Hungary and Slovakia plan to sue the European Union over its REPowerEU plan to phase out imports of Russian oil and gas, officials wrote on Jan. 26.

U.S. officials leading the talks are convinced that Russian negotiators have taken a more pragmatic tone behind closed doors than Moscow's public hardline rhetoric suggests, according to two people familiar with the matter. The Kremlin has consistently used public statements before and after each round of talks to reiterate — and at times escalate — its maximalist demands on Ukraine, including territorial and political concessions. "They usually say their maximalist demands, and then they allo

A new Russian law requires Ukrainian children in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine to obtain Russian international passports to travel abroad; experts say the move complicates efforts to flee the occupation. A law that took effect Jan. 20 bars children under 14 from traveling abroad without a Russian international passport, Russian state media outlet TASS reported, citing the migration service of Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs. Russian citizens can travel to Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzs

Moscow's propaganda machine has been hard at work depicting Europe as a "digital gulag," hellbent on suppressing free speech online. The latest campaign has targeted efforts by the U.K. and the EU to regulate X (formerly Twitter), even as the platform remains blocked in Russia, alongside Facebook, Instagram, and others. Russian propagandists appear to be drawing on the ire of U.S. leaders and their ally, X's owner Elon Musk, who attack European legislation as "censorship." Experts who spoke t

This is Kollen Post reporting from Kyiv on day 1,433 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: Russia has yet to use Iranian missiles in its war on Ukraine Iran gave hundreds of its missiles to Russia as a gift to help in its war on Ukraine. So far, they've been plagued by failure to launch. Ukrainian intelligence told the Kyiv Independent on Jan. 26 that of the over 350 Fath-360 missiles that Iran has given Russia, none has come down on Ukraine. Those dormant Fath missi

Seapeak's share of Yamal LNG's trade in 2025 amounted to 37.3%, more than any other company, according to Urgewald's analysis based on Kpler data.

The reasons could be "possible limitations of a technical or political character," Ukraine's military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent.

A full ban on Russian LNG will take effect in early 2027, followed by pipeline gas imports in the autumn of that year.

Despite the brutal conditions, Russia has still continued to push out north of the city of Pokrovsk, making occasional incremental gains according to open-source mapping projects.

"We will not tolerate any violation," Emmanuel Macron said. "We are determined to uphold international law and to ensure the effective enforcement of sanctions."

Ukrainian drones reportedly struck an oil refinery in the town of Slovyansk-na-Kuban in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on Jan. 26, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

President Volodymyr Zelensky and exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held their first bilateral meeting on Jan. 25.

The accident occurred in the community of Sokilnyky in Lviv Oblast around 6:15 p.m. local time, the State Bureau of Investigation announced. Preliminary information appears to indicate that Salamakha entered oncoming traffic before colliding with a commercial minibus.

"For us, security guarantees are first and foremost guarantees from the United States. The document is 100% ready, and we are waiting for our partners to confirm the date and place for its signing," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 25.

Key developments on Jan. 24-25: * 80% of Ukraine faces emergency power cuts following Russian aerial attack * 15% of Kyiv residential buildings remain without heat after Russia's attacks, officials say * At least 1 killed, 9 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day * Orban accuses Ukraine of threats, Hungarian election interference; FM Sybiha rejects accusations, calls him Kremlin ally * Zelensky meets Lithuania's president as country pledges nearly 100 generators for Ukraine am

There are 1,330 residential buildings in Kyiv — around 15% of the city's housing stock — that remain without heating after Russian attacks on critical infrastructure, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Jan. 25.

Zelensky, speaking in Vilnius, said Lukashenko's dog has "more rights than the people of Belarus" and warned Europe to press back against Minsk's growing dependence on Moscow.

In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent's Anna Belokur reports on how subzero temperatures are shaping the war on Ukraine's front lines, as Russia continues assaults around Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad, and Lyman in Donetsk Oblast amid severe winter conditions.

Zelensky met Lithuania’s president in Vilnius on Jan. 25 to discuss support for Ukraine’s energy system and air defense as Russian strikes continue, with Lithuania pledging nearly 100 generators for Ukrainian communities.

Russia launched 102 drones and two Iskander ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said.

The number includes 1,020 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

When the government asserts authority in ways that a growing share of the public experiences as arbitrary or vindictive, it begins to lose legitimacy.

The Russian city of Belgorod was hit on Jan. 24 by what regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov described as “the most massive” strike on the city, allegedly involving HIMARS.

"The main thing the discussions focused on was potential parameters for ending the war," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Jan. 24 accused Ukraine of meddling in Hungary’s parliamentary elections, saying Kyiv had “gone on the offensive” and was now “issuing threats and openly interfering in the Hungarian elections.”

One person was killed, and another four were reported injured in Kyiv as Russia launched a mass attack on the capital overnight on Jan. 24, officials reported.

Russia has lost 1,233,020 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Jan. 24.

An oil tanker sanctioned for transporting Russian oil appeared to be adrift in the Mediterranean Sea following a possible mechanical failure, Bloomberg reported Jan. 23

In what is potentially the world's most expensive parking ticket, a Russian-registered Antonov An-124 has remained locked in a frozen embrace with the tarmac at Toronto Pearson Airport. Stranded for almost four years, the aircraft has racked up over $1.5 million Canadian dollars ($1.1 million) in parking fees. Parked so long, in fact, that it has found its way onto the infrequently updated satellite views of the airport in both Apple Maps and Google Maps. But for an international community tha

Editor's note: This article is a shortened on-site version of KI Insights' public newsletter, The Week Ahead, covering events from January 26 - February 1. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events delivered directly to your inbox every week. In the coming days, international attention will be focused on the trilateral meeting involving Ukraine, the United States, and Russia, scheduled for January 23–24. These will be the first talks in a trilateral format since t

Orban cited a confidential document on Ukraine's accession allegedly presented at an EU summit in Brussels on the previous day.

Kyiv, home to more than 3 million people, is still reeling from the Jan. 20 attack in which Russia launched 33 missiles and 339 drones against Ukraine.